Carbohydrate Friday

Weight loss for me is less about what I’m eating and more about the why and how I’m eating.  I’m changing the how and why I eat even more than what I eat.

Of course there are foods I no longer eat because I feel those foods are my gateway foods (potato chips, fast food). But it is less about that food than how and why I eat that food (binge eat - eat the whole large bag of chips while driving/watcing TV/on the computer….get fast food in the car and eat while driving).  

AT the camping trip I ate garlic bread.  OMG it was so good.  So I made a salad and grilled chicken (everyone else ate pasta and meatballs).  Then in front of everyone I put one small piece of garlic bread on my plate.  I waited for everyone to say, “WTF!  You are NOT going to eat that”  While their plates where piled high.  But no one said anything.  I enjoyed that garlic bread so much I went back and had another (with some veggies of course).  Then I went and started clean up and had two more where no one was watching.  Those are the ones that I regret.  If I could have stopped at the pieces I ate with everyone…but no.  It was my guilty pleasure rather than just my meal and I hid the fact that I ate more from everyone….old behaviors….not the new me.

I believe we have to eat carbohydrates to be able to lose and maintain that loss.  But they need to be part of the food plan.  Many foods have carbs in them (veggies/breads/rice/potatoes).  It is how I incorporate those foods into my diet that will lead to success.  

So what Carbs don’t I eat right now?  Fried carbs - just gotta stay away from breaded/fried foods, fried potatoes (chips and fries).  I also try to select carbs that are better for me and eat them as part of a food plan rather than plan the meal around my carb.  I tend to eat more fried carbs…put a pile of french fries and a a pile of celery sticks.  I could probably eat 2 celery sticks…while I’d eat the entire pile of fries.

For my Mexican flavored meals (tacos, burrito, etc)  I choose corn tortilla over Flour.
For my tuna sandwich, I have my english muffin, sometimes I have the sour dough but sometimes I have the whole wheat.

Everyday I have carbs in my eating plan.  I just make sure that I’m not falling into the old behaviors and making poor decisions.

We are in it for the long haul.  Too much sacrifice will undermine our ability to do it for a long time.  Remember, it isn’t just about the loss.  It is about the maintenance of that loss and our ability to sustain behaviors over the long haul.  I don’t know about you, but I will eat cake sometime along my journey.  I’m going to drink alcohol. I want to feel I deserve these things rather than feel that they are a guilty pleasure.  I’m not eating cake or drinking wine right now….right now I’m in loss mode and understand I’m about the number…but what I want to do is put behaviors in place that are sustainable so that I have the tools to maintain my weight loss a year from now when I’m wearing smaller cloths and thinking I got this……. 

I do not want to gain the weight back and I will if I don’t create a lifestyle of sustainability.  This is why I have not maintained my weight loss in the past.  I’ve never really dealt with the why and how.  I’ve only dealt with the what.

So do plan a diet where carbs are part of it.  Just look at the how and why you are eating them to determine whether they are appropriate for your food plan.